MINUTES AFTER THE congregation of basketball players ranging from NBA All-Stars to pro prospects to gym rats who keep high tops in the trunk of their cars spilled outside into the warm August air, Rico Hines dutifully readied the space for the next tenants inside the UCLA Student Activities Center.
Under the soft glow of sunbeams seeping out from the corners of the blue roller shades that cover the windowed walls of the sweltering second-floor gymnasium, the 45-year-old former UCLA basketball player toted a trash can around the three hardwood courts as members of the women’s volleyball team trickled in for their midday practice.
With the same attention to detail he just preached to the dozens of hoopers about filling their roles on their respective teams to cap another day as ringleader of perhaps the most accomplished pickup basketball game on the planet, Hines deposited every last paper cup and plastic bottle strewn along the sidelines into the bin — covering the court with the diligence of a lockdown defender smothering a guard on the…
